VOICE OF ELECTRICITY WORKERS

July 2003 - March 2004 Index

CONCLUDING SPEECH BY COM. E. BALANANDAN AT 11TH CONFERENCE OF CITU

Comrades,

I am glad that our conference has come to a successful end, however I wish to tell you a few things by way of concluding remarks.

Before I proceed let me make a reference about two of our outstanding leaders who are retiring from official position of our organization due to indifferent health. One is Com. C - C. Kannan of Kerala and the other is Com. Samarda - Samar Mukherjee from West Bengal. Their contribution to the development of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions from its very inception till to the day of their retirement will go in golden letters in our history and they are very rare models. Allow me to salute them on your behalf.

We have decided to go for an all India strike action unitedly with other trade unions of the country by mid February'04 date of which will be decided by consensus. We wholeheartedly support the proposed strike by the Central and State government employees and teachers which is to take place on 11th of February'04. The proposed actions are for the restoration of right to strike and a complete reversal of the anti - people and anti working class policies which are being vehemently pursued by the centre and many of the state governments, the policy of imperialist led globalization. These actions for policy change for meeting the challenge, needs all embracing unity with the required courage and zeal. When the crisis develop and the attack against the workers and the people becomes very serious the reformist nature of some trade union leaders come to the fore and they will try to escape from the battlefield leaving their own followers and try to shield the enemies of the working class. At such a juncture the CITU should show its metal and surge forward to see that the total working class is brought to the fore in this battle ignoring the vacillation being shown by their leaders. This dictum all of you should keep in mind.

We have organized the Centre of Indian Trade Unions exactly with the aim of it becoming the real centre of the Indian working class. The fact remains that we have to go a long way to achieve this aim. I must remind you about one point made by our leader and teacher Com. B.T. Ranadive during 1983. He said that while the CITU union formulate their demands the draft should be circulated among the members of other trade unions existing in the industry and among those whom are non-unionized. To get their suggestions and amendments to our proposed memorandum, so as to make it the common demand of the total workers of the industry. I am sorry to say that the import of this suggestion, many of our comrades still do not keep in mind even today. The main intention is to treat the workers as a class irrespective of their temporary political or organizational affinity which is part of their backwardness and we want to bring them together, unify them as a class in the fight for immediate demands and the fight for policy change. This I want you to keep in mind. This exactly is the difference between the other unions and us.

Comrades, we have accepted a resolution welcoming the World Social Forum 2004 being held at Mumbai from 16th to 21st of January'04. This gathering is being held with the new slogan of "another world is possible" against the imperialist led capitalist globalization, which we welcome. At the same time we must not forget the conditions which are there in their charter of principles which restricts the movement from acquiring the required strength and vigor to enforce the change. I am referring here section 9 and 13 of their charter which restricts the expansion of this movement, by denying the entry of political parties and also party's which believes in armed struggle and the insistence on peaceful non- violent change. This ideas are contrary to the living realities of the world today which I do not wish to deal in detail now. However we do not agree with these restrictions. Another world for us is socialism and nothing else. We are clear about it. However we do not wish to discourage people who gather with the idea that "a new world is possible and necessary" from their own experience and we are for encouraging them with the definite understanding in the course of interaction and developing realities in the world will convince them the social change needed is socialism and around it all sections must unite. With this idea in mind we want all of you to cooperate with the World Social forum being held at Mumbai.

Before I close, with your permission let me refer to one more point. Comrades of Chennai North District Committee of SFI has brought to you and me a picture of Shri V.O. Chidambaram Pillai (1872-1936) who was a freedom fighter and a legend of the working class movement in Tamilnadu reminding us the first political strike in the Indian history was on 30th March 1908 protesting against the arrest of VOC and also they wanted us to remember "socialism is the alternative". While thanking them on your behalf for their vision, we must remind ourselves the objective of socialism enshrined in the CITU constitution. Comrades, we pledge ourselves to uphold socialism.

Now it is my duty to thank our Tamilnadu State Committee for organizing this conference with utmost care and skill. I must thank the volunteers men and women who tirelessly work for weeks together to make this conference a success especially their dutifulness exhibited in attending the needs of every comrades who were a delegate. We must be proud of the army of youngsters who were part of the volunteer core. I thank everyone of them and offer them our revolutionary greetings. With these words I declare the closure of this conference.

13.12.2003, Chennai
 

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